The tournament is the Oceania qualifier for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. The national teams of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Cook Island and Tonga are all set to take part and will compete in a round robin tournament with the winner heading to Canada.
The PNG Football Association (PNGFA) was awarded hosting rights for the event – the most high-profile on the OFC calendar. Two bids were received – from PNGFA and the New Zealand Football (NZF) – and a decision was made by the OFC Executive Committee members last month.
Given that the Nations Cup is OFC’s flagship event and is sure to generate worldwide interest and media coverage, many important factors – such as stadium facilities, infrastructure and accommodation – had to be taken into consideration.
PNGFA put forward a strong bid to stage all matches at Sir Ignatius Kilage and the tournament will be a test event for the Pacific Games 2015. PNGFA will be seeking support from the Pacific Games Authority, Government departments and the business community to make the event a success for all.
PNGFA and OFC President David Chung said as a second strongest team in the Pacific we should be hosting the tournament because we haven’t been hosting any tournaments for a long time.
“I fought for it which I got the support from my colleagues because women’s football is our strength, and it’s an honour and hopefully with can achieve some good things,” Chung said.